Don't Worry About Him
by hook617
Summary: Set during "In the Name of the Brother." Emma can't seem to push away her nagging feeling of worry about Hook. ONE SHOT.


**A/N: So, for an episode I don't feel like I've watched very much, this is the third story I've written around it. I was watching the ending scene with Greg and Emma, and just the way she said "Don't Worry About Him" just sent my Captain Swan heart going. Maybe I'm reading into it, but I was inspired to write this. Enjoy!**

* * *

Emma tried not to be anxious as she walked up the hall to Belle's room. She breathed a sigh of relief as she passed the hospital room with Belle, seeing Gold was keeping a silent vigil next to her as she slept. She calmly walked past her room to the nursing station. Emma drummed her fingers on the desk while she waited for the nurse to get off the phone. The nurse looked up at Emma and smiled.

"Yes, Ms. Swan?"

"There was a nurse I gave instructions to earlier, Nancy. Is she around?" The nurse stood up from the desk so she could lean in and whisper to Emma.

"She's in the surgical wing, room 203," she whispered. "It's on the second floor." Emma pushed down a gulp.

"Was...surgery necessary?" The nurse noticed Emma's nervousness, smiled and shook her head.

"No, sheriff. It's a quiet wing. It's a large wing and we always put extra patients in there if the ER is full. Very good security on that hall." Emma nodded in thanks and headed toward the elevator. As she was about to push the up arrow, she thought twice and headed toward the stairwell. If Gold was watching her, he could easily just watch where the elevator stopped. And being just one floor above didn't make for a long walking distance.

One floor above, that might need to change. Archenemies being just one level away from each other isn't much of a defense, but for now, she'd have to trust the nurses' judgement. After all, they worked here. If they said it was a secure wing, that would have to do for now. As she came up to the 2nd floor, Nancy was about halfway down the hall. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her, and her nervousness seemed to melt when she saw Emma. As Emma walked passed the nurse's desk for that wing, a large man stood up.

"Clearance?" Emma pulled out her sheriff badge and showed it to the large male nurse. Nancy quickly jogged up to the desk.

"It's okay, John. She's his emergency contact," Nancy explained. Emma froze after pulling back Nancy by her arm.

"What?!"

"We needed to get his information. He told us the best he could. Since he just came from our land, he doesn't have any medical insurance or even an address. Getting a name for an emergency contact was one of the few things we were able to get from him. Mr. Jones asked for you." Emma brushed it off as part of some scheme. Even under drugs, she had no doubt that Captain Hook could maintain his ability to calculate his best odds. Who else could he say, Cora? And as for the people Hook could be sure were here, it was only her, Mary-Margaret, Regina, and the Crocodile. Sucking up to Snow White may gain him safety, but it could also earn him a punch in the face by Prince Charming. She wasn't sure about his dealings with Regina, but if his relationship was anything like his relationship with Cora, putting his care in her hands probably wasn't the smartest. So it was either her or his archenemy. That's all it was, winner by default.

"What's his condition?"

"He's sedated. He was in a lot of pain from his broken ribs. We set them and patched him up," Nancy said as she took her to his room. "His wrist, although an old injury, was poorly tended to. And his brace scraping against it hasn't helped it. We re-stitched the wound so there will be less irritation when he wears his prosthetic." Just outside of room 203, they passed a janitor's closet. Nancy ducked in quickly and pulled out a bag. "His clothes are hanging up in the closet in his room because they were too thick and heavy for our garment bags. And here is his brace and personal effects. We thought it best to hide it for now, considering his hook is technically a weapon." Emma eyed the plastic bag. There were his rings, his necklace, a gold coin and a few other trinkets that slid to the bottom of the bag, but there was his brace and hook. Emma took it from her as they stood in front of his room.

"Thank you for everything," Emma said. "If John could continue to keep an eye on this room, that would be great. You'll probably need his strength once Hook wakes up." Nancy nodded quickly and hurried to update John. Emma turned toward the door and laid her hand on the knob for a moment before walking in.

_"Hey, beautiful. Here I didn't you'd notice! AAAHH!" He was pain enough to not hide it from her as she gently examined him._

_"Your ribs are broken."_

_"Oh that must be why it hurts when I laugh." She saw his face change into one of extreme hatred as he spoke to Rumplestiltskin. In the short time she knew him, she had never seen such anger coming from him, not even when she betrayed him._

She slowly turned the knob and let out a sigh of relief when she saw he was still asleep. He looked so innocent, despite the cuts and bruises. Emma set the bag of his effects on a nearby chair and went to his side. Before she could stop herself, she gently pushed his hair away from his forehead. _Just looking at the damage_, she lied to herself. His dark hair was thick and soft, making it all the more tempting to touch. She pulled her fingers back like she had gotten burned when she realized she was now stroking his hair. She looked over at his bad arm, now carefully wrapped in hospital gauze. She had never seen him without his brace, or his arm from the wrist up even. She examined his face one more time, looking for signs of waking up before she reached out to touch his wrist. At first, her fingers just touched the gauze, nothing unusual. But as she wrapped her hand more around him, that she was holding a hand that wasn't there, she could feel the extent of his injury. Emma tried to think of how what he must have went through that day. Not only losing his love, but having to deal with the loss of his hand. Physical and emotional pain at such a strong peak, clashing together over dominance in his mind. It would be enough to drive anyone mad.

"Sheriff," came a voice from behind her. Emma dropped Hook's wrist and he groaned a little in his sleep. She turned around to see a doctor that she hadn't seen before, but then again, Dr. Whale was probably not the only doctor in this hospital. "I'm Dr. Keets, I'll be overseeing Mr. Jones' case." It was so weird to hear Hook being referred to by his given name as opposed to his moniker.

"I'm sure he'd prefer Captain," Emma muttered.

"Excuse me," Dr. Keets asked. Emma waved it off as nothing. "Mr. Jones broke a few ribs and took some contusions, but he should be fine. We managed to get the internal bleeding under control."

"Internal bleeding?" Emma was surprised, but then realized he had been hit by a car, what else should she expect? But she couldn't help that gnawing feeling. What if they missed it? What if he still was bleeding internally somewhere? Reading her body language, Dr. Keets put a reassuring hand on Emma's wrist.

"He's going to be fine. I'm sure he'll make our staff very eager for his discharge judging by his behavior as we were trying to patch him up, but your boyfriend is going to be just fine." Emma looked at the doctor with wide eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought by the way you were…"

"No, it's alright," Emma said, waving it off as nothing. "He's...um...he doesn't know many people in Storybrooke. He just arrived, you know, from over there." The doctor nodded as all the pieces were coming together.

"That makes a lot of sense," the doctor said with a chuckle. "With some of the things he was saying earlier."

"Like what?"

"Oh, nothing. The needles upset him when we first started running tests. He also mentioned something about a beanstalk. Obviously there are no beanstalks in Storybrooke."

"Yeah, obviously," Emma said, laughing politely. She looked back Hook, still lying unconscious on the bed. She found herself wondering how did they get to this point? Him lying in a hospital bed in Storybrooke after just getting hit by a car. It felt like just yesterday that she met him, when they climbed the beanstalk together.

_"Emma, look at me. Have I told you a lie? I brought you here. I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is in your hand. Why do this to me now?"_

_"I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you. I'm sorry."_

"But we can make an exception….sheriff?" Emma was only aware that the doctor was talking when she heard the doctor calling her.

"What? I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said that since you're his emergency contact, you can visit him between 8am-8pm. But since you're also the sheriff and just come from the crime scene, we can make an exception." Emma nodded. "Stay with him as long as you'd like tonight, just make sure he rests."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Sheriff." With that, the doctor was gone. Emma sat down on the bed with Hook. She was trying to think of what he must have gone through. Only having in Storybrooke a few days at most, how much could he really have picked up on, let alone traditional medical help? And then there was the inevitable fact that Hook was here to stay. There was no way of sending him back to the Enchanted Forest. If he was going to attempt to live here civilly (doubtful), then there would be things he had to learn. Who would teach him? No one would volunteer. Who would help a pirate? Would that mean he would end up living on his ship alone and outcast?

It was only when Hook let out a moan of contentment that she realized she had gently been massaging his leg as she was lost in thought. Emma's hand shot back into her lap as she realized Hook was waking up. She postured herself with confidence, ready to tackle their inevitable battle of words. She could take him, especially handcuffed. She pushed her own innuendo out of her head as his eyebrows started to flutter. Walls up, she was ready for him.

"Where's Cora?"

* * *

Emma walked toward Greg Mendell's room with a purpose, trying to sort out in her head what exactly she was going to ask. No problem, she could think on her feet. She could think up a reasonable explanation, she had plenty of practice from her days of thievery and bounty hunting. But that wasn't the problem. She couldn't get him out of her head. The way he bantered with her, the way he smiled at her. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? Their past two interactions only gave her more reasons to be annoyed with him. His constant flirting, getting out of his handcuffs, the way he looked at Ruby. Her blood turned hot at the last thought. Even she couldn't deny that she was jealous of the look he gave Ruby. Maybe he that was his intention- to make her jealous. It did bring out a possessive side in her, one that she could act on rather easily. _No, Emma. Stop. This is why you left him on the beanstalk. He'll break your heart_, she thought.

_"For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive, aren't you?"_

_"Maybe I was in love, once…"_

Emma pushed back those feelings she felt stir in her as they made their way to the giant's lair. They could read each other, they understand each other. _No, don't go down that road again. Focus_, she scolded herself as she walked into the recovery room.

"Nurse?"

"Sheriff Swan, actually," Emma said. Greg tucked himself back in and looked at her weakly.

"I'm thirsty," he muttered. Emma took pity on his most likely drugged up state (he had just been through surgery) and handed him a cup of water, complete with straw. She took the bag of his belongings out of her pocket, now that they had been thoroughly checked, and dropped it next to his bed.

"Here. I have your personal effects. I'm just going to put them down here, okay?" Greg nodded. "So, Mr. Mendell, I wanted to talk to you about the accident." Greg froze like he was a deer in the headlights. For a moment, the thought of Hook's face having the same look flashed into her mind. An object capable of destruction if out of control coming right at him. He must have had no idea what hit him- literally. When she saw him lying on the ground, he was in so much pain…

"Did I hit somebody?" Emma was still coming out of her thoughts as Greg started to panic. "Oh, my God, I hit someone. Is he okay?"

"Don't worry about him." The words spilled out of her mouth before she caught herself. For a second, she wondered if she was saying it more to him or herself. It is what she'd been telling herself for the past few hours, wasn't it? _Emma Swan- stop worrying about the handsome pirate in agonizing pain!_ When she caught Greg's expression, she realized how that must have sounded. "I mean...the damage was pretty minor."

"Oh, thank God," Greg said, breathing a sigh of relief.

* * *

Satisfied with the results of her questioning of Mendell and giving her companions a full report, they decided to head home. As tired as she was from the late night and the stress, she still couldn't leave just yet.

"I just want to check in with one of the nurses before I go," Emma said to her parents. They said they'd wait for her while Ruby and Leroy happily headed out towards their respective homes. As the bell to the 2nd floor rang, Emma stepped out cautiously. Gold seemed to have left a few hours ago, but that didn't mean he didn't return. As she passed by the nurse's desk, John gave her an approving nod. Emma peaked into Hook's room- asleep again. Most of the food half eaten on the tray, Jell-O completely gone. He still had his handcuffs on, and his good hand was wrapped around the loose end, almost as if he was holding it. Emma stepped into the room and took in the sight of him, unsure of when she could come back to check on him.

"Just rest, buddy," Emma whispered, not stopping herself from running her fingers through his hair one last time. "And don't try anything stupid." She turned quickly to leave before he either started to wake up or she would be tempted to sit with him again or both. When she reached the nurse's station again, both Nancy and John were there. She thanked them for their efforts and gave them instructions to call directly if anything happens. "And if he gets too annoying, feel free to knock him out. That's what I always do," she said with a smile as she shoved her hands into the pocket of her trench coat. The nurses gave her a small laugh and bid her goodnight. As Emma entered the elevator, she leaned against the wall of the cab with a huff. "Don't worry about him," she said out loud to herself. It still wasn't working.

**THE END**


End file.
